The United States of America has a sadly problematic history when it comes to human rights.  This is most apparent in the way we as a society have treated our black community. Whether it be slavery, Jim Crow, or violence committed by modern police, our history is one racial injustice and violence.  One major factor in this are monuments.  Many are monuments to slave owners and those that fought to preserve slavery.  Many of these are rightly being torn down or otherwise removed.

This is where the Washington Monument comes.  George Washington is rightfully called the "Father of our Country".  While the good Washington did for our country cannot be discounted, the fact that he was a wealthy slave owner cannot be ignored.  This legacy of bondage undercuts Washington's own support for enlightenment values such as personal liberty and democracy. 

Given this legacy, I believe that renaming the Washington Monument would be a strong step forward in demonstrating that we, as a society, can longer abide the systematic oppression of entire groups of people based in the color of their skin. As for the new name, the credit goes to Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas for coming up with the name in an unintentional stroke of genius.  Let's make this happen!